Diplomats tour Sderot, Defense minister flees rockets
By Israel Insider staff and partners November 23, 2006
Defense Minister Amir Peretz , along with some 70 foreign diplomats observed up close what life was like in the Qassam-battered southern town.
Around the time Peretz left for work Thursday, an alarm sounded throughout Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev regional council.
Peretz, who was just entering his car to leave his home in Sderot for work, was advised by his security guards to return to his garage and wait for the air to clear. A minute later it was apparent that two Qassam rockets landed in the area, one nearby the entrance to a kibbutz and the other next to a large public institution.
Peretz then returned to his car, and followed by his entourage, was on his way to Tel Aviv for a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at the Kirya.
The five rockets that landed across the Western Negev throughout the day, causing no injuries or damage, showed the foreign diplomats a real Sderot day.
Accompanied by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, the diplomats toured the Qassam-scarred town. In the recent weeks, as the IDF has expanded its operations to thwart the rocket fire, the intensity of the Qassams has only increased.
As Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal said in an interview during the summer, "We stopped counting - we stopped because we're talking about thousands."
With the arrival of the visiting diplomats, Livni's associates hope to give the Sderot perspective, and affect public opinion.
On their visit, the diplomats first went to the local police station, where they had the opportunity to observe and touch Qassam duds. They then continued to an elementary school in town, and met with fourth grade students to hear about the children's feelings.
Livni told the envoys that about a third of the students have stopped attending school entirely.
The diplomats were then taken to an observation spot in town which overlooks Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Although Mayor Eli Moyal suggested to avoid the place due to alerts he had received of a an imminent rocket attack, Livni insisted to take the envoys to one of the hardest hit areas in town, where she explained about the alert system used in Sderot.
The foreign minister said that the more primitive the weapons used against Israel are, the more difficult it was to intercept them.
A mere 20 minutes after the delegates left the place, two Qassam rockets landed nearby. At that time, the envoys and Livni were already safely at the local community center. The diplomats, who barely heard the "Color Red" alarm system go off, did not panic or appear to comprehend the commotion around them.
At the conclusion of the visit, Livni's associates expressed their disappointment over the fact that the tour was not "dramatic enough," but said they hope that the impression left will help sway the international public opinion in Israel's favor
Ynet staff writers Anat Bereshkovsky and Ronny Sofer contribnuted to this report.
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